PeRsiMMoN-PaLoOZa: hachiya & fuyu

Hachiya is heart-shaped. Fuyu is tomato-shaped. And the differences don’t end there.

The hachiya must be completely ripe to be palatable, or else the taste is astringent and off-putting, reminiscent of chalk. But when it is ripe it is sublime – a not-too-sweet apricot-like flavor, with a hint of honey, and unique slippery texture. The fuyu – on the other hand – can be eaten like an apple, diced for a salad or salsa, or sliced into wedges when it is softer and served with dessert or cheese. Persimmon has the pizzazzy flavor of Fall!

She filled a roasting pan with enough water to reach half-way up the sides of a Bundt pan and brought the water to a boil.

This covered roasting pan by Granite Ware has been in Sally’s family for almost 100 years. The same company has been making these black enamel-on-steel roasters, specked with white flecks, since 1871.

She greased the mold with cooking spray, poured in the batter, and placed it into the hot water. She covered the roaster with its tight-fitting lid, and steamed the pudding over low heat for 2 1/2 hours – then let it cool slightly before un-molding onto a serving platter.

Fuyu Persimmon

The tomato-shaped fuyu – slightly soft, cut into wedges.

A slice of very moist hachiya persimmon steam pudding, sliced fuyu, and chantilly cream flavored with brandy, and a glass of milk – a dessert for persimmon lovers! Persimmons are in season here October through December only and we are certainly enjoying the season! Sally, Alice, and I still have more persimmons, ripening daily. Today I will be trying a sorbet recipe. And persimmon fans might also enjoy the bread pudding with bourbon creme anglaise posted earlier in the week here.

18 thoughts on “PeRsiMMoN-PaLoOZa: hachiya & fuyu”

This looks lovely. I recently tried persimmon for the first time. I must have had an unripe one because I felt like it sucked my inside out. Now I know what it is supposed to taste like. How do you know when it’s ripe?

Hi Joan – the hachiya will be super-soft, like jell-o. I think someone described it as feeling like you are holding a water balloon. They are not sold ripe in the store because they are very fragile when ready to eat, the skin splits, the pulp starts oozing out, and it’s pretty messy. If you see a hachiya at the market, take it home, and wait…
LL

Wow…what a lovely post. Your photography is just beautiful. I found myself transported with each and every shot. I have only cooked/baked with persimoons a few times, but I find the flavor to be irresistible, and I’m always excited to find new recipes that utilize the winter fruit. Thank you for sharing with me, my dear!

Your persimmon desserts are gorgeous! I just baked w/ fuyus for the first time a few days ago and now I’m even more inspired by your creations. It’s funny, I’ve always had a hard time describing the flavor of persimmons but we described them the same way: honey-like. It’s true, isn’t it? I’d like to try these before persimmon season is behind us. Thanks!

Mmmm – I love persimmon. I had no idea there was so much difference between the two types. I would also hav binned the pulpy one thinking it was way over ripe. So very wrong ! I’m glad I now know the difference….

Two absolutely gorgeous desserts that are so festive and perfect for the holidays! I recently baked muffins with Fuyu persimmons and mentioned the two varieties in my post, next I’ll have to try Hachiya’s – thanks for the wonderful description of their taste differences.

Neither fuyu or persimmons or haciya are accessible here. More’s the pity. This is when I wish I lived in L.A. (and I’ll take your rain over my snow). I wonder if they’ll show up in the warmer months. Stunning, welcoming post as usual. If I cannot find the ingredients, I can at least “taste with the eyes.”

I miss the wild native persimmons we had back in the Midwest, but I’ve learned that hachiya pulp is almost as good in an Indiana-style persimmon pudding. This year I tried an upside-down cake with sliced fuyus as the topping fruit, cooked in butter and brown sugar in the usual way, with the pudding batter poured over. The mixture had too much moisture to come together as neatly as I wanted, but after a week or so of aging in the fridge we could slice it and put it into bowls, where we topped it with whipped cream. I’ll try a variation on that next season, with a more cake-like batter and some less-ripe fuyus.

Your dessert, in all its guises, looks truly lovely. I think next year we need to explore more possibilities with the fuyus, using them as we’d use stone fruits, for instance.

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